Sheffield United had heroes on the pitch against Nottingham Forest and a true inspiration on the sidelines

Heroic performances on the pitch took Sheffield United to within a whisker of Wembley - an amazing comeback that few saw coming when Nottingham Forest stretched their lead in the second leg.

And in the end, what stood between the Blades and a Yorkshire meet up in the capital with Huddersfield was a 6" 1' Congolese goalkeeper and a glovebag full of gamesmanship.

But while it's understandable that all associated with the club will be in mourning at this moment, particularly the fans who have come out in their numbers again over the course of this rollercoaster of a season and roared on the Blades again last night, it shouldn't be a case of wallowing in what might have been.

There should be a sense of pride that they made it this far.

Yes, the incredible success that lingers in recent memory will have had many believing that United should have been contenders for promotion but that doesn't tell anywhere near the full tale.

This was a damaged club and, more so, a damaged team.

Off the back of two promotions in three years and with that a rise into the Premier League - a number of these players having been involved in much of that - they ripped up the top flight with stunning displays of attacking football that had them on the cusp of the Champions League places at one point.

The least they should have achieved that season was a shot at the Europa League.

Then the pandemic swept the globe and while people suffered much, much worse in the grand scheme of things, United as a club were flattened.

Without the Bramall Lane backing when football returned without fans, they weren't the same and slipped to ninth. A very respectable finish but far short of where it could have been.

The Blades never recovered. Still without supporters they started badly and got worse before Chris Wilder finally upped sticks to open the door for a man who offered a glimpse of what would lie ahead.

Paul Heckingbottom's interim spell in charge brought back some pride but relegation was always inevitable.

The appointment of Slavisa Jokanovic in the summer was welcomed at the time but something wasn't right on and off the pitch as the season wore on - most notably a failure to add to the squad, players that the Serb felt they needed.

When he left in November, the club needed to reconnect with supporters who had been away for so long and came back to chaos, like parents returning from holiday to find their teenage kids had ransacked the house.

Heckingbottom did that. With the help of Stuart McCall and Jack Lester the connection was rediscovered. Fans were back onside, the players had smiles on their faces and the front-foot attacking football was back.

From near the bottom of the table to a finish in the play-off places. That's more than commendable.

Now they can and should look to the future, with a management team that 'get it' and hopefully the backing he needs to build on what they have achieved this season. And that's the important word. This was an achievement to make it to this point and Heckingbottom, McCall, Lester and the squad should be heralded for that.

Now the onus is on those upstairs to back the boss and ensure they can reach even higher next season.